Urban Beach Scenes 2004 - 2007	Urban Beach Walks 2006, 2007

Urban Beach Scenes re-create a lost personal tradition of summertime migration to the seashore by bringing natural and childlike elements into unnatural, urban settings. Being the artistic director and subject in the series, numerous photographers have assisted me in documenting the work. The performance tangent to the Urban Beach Scene series is an Urban Beach Walk. In an Urban Beach Walk, nostalgia for the seashore is physically portrayed by an introduction then evacuation of a small path of sand, navigating me through urban landscapes.

Urban Beach Scenes originated in 2004 while residing in the Center on Contemporary Art as part of the group show titled: Domicile: A Sense of Place. At that time I was preparing for my Commitment Ceremony: A Public Declaration of Commitment to My Creative Self. The majority of the series was created in 2005 in places including but not limited to: Seattle, Portland, OR, Vancouver, B.C., and New York City. Also in 2005, I attended 97.3 KBSG's Beach Party (in the piece), won the costume contest and received a bass guitar signed by the Ventures. In 2006, I participated in 4Culture's Site Specific Performance Network Program where I created and performed the Urban Beach Walk. Adam L. Weintraub, the documenting photographer for 4Culture, helped create more UBS images throughout King County.

Urban Beach Scenes and Walks would not be possible without support from the following:
4Culture
Adam L. Weintraub
Andrea Gardner
Ario Jafarzadeh
Arne Pihl
Artist Trust Edge Program
Cathleen Bozek
Charlie Rathbun
Dawn Nicholson
Dominick Lucia
Erin Shafkind
Ezra Dickinson
Grey Gallery and Lounge
Jaime Keeling
Joe Moore
June Sekiguchi
Lance Wakeling
Marq Dean
Meg Cunningham
Ryan Crase
Sam Trout
Stephen Schardt

above photographs by Erin Shafkind